Monday, November 20, 2006

Brown butter sauce seems to be all the rave as of late, and I agree it is quite the bomb, for tastebuds as well as hardening arteries. It's got great toasty, nutty flavors, a hint of caramelization, and a great conduit for whatever herbs & spices that are thrown in. And a little goes a long way.

It's also an incredibly easy and fast sauce to make, so save yourself the time gussying up for a restaurant (and the money for this oh-so-sophisticated dish) and just whip it up yourself.

Basically, all you need is butter (unsalted is better, so it's more easy to adjust the preferred sodium level) and what ever herbs and spices you want to accent the sauce with. Sage & rosemary are particularly popular for brown butter, for this time around I decided for a dash of garlic salt and a good dose of fresh ground pepper. (and 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of butter is plenty per person - can even get away with less if pasta is tossed well with the sauce.)

To make the sauce, simply melt the pats of butter on a skillet, swirling constantly to prevent burning and to heat evenly. When it gets light to medium brown, take it off the heat source and add your spices / herbs of choice. Swirl a few more times and voila! sauce is ready to drizzle, toss, pour over your favorite pasta.

One tip though, make sure your pasta is thoroughly drained -- helps it cling to the sauce better since, afterall, oil and water don't mix.

In my case - I used my black pepper/garlic brown butter in smoked mozzarella & spinach/ricotta ravioli (both from Surfas) and a good helping of assorted mushrooms, just to make me feel less guilty:I used a little over 2 tablespoons of butter, and that turned to be way too much, as indicated by this pool of nutty, spicy goodness of liquid fat that collected when I tilt my plate slightly:And I decided to be healthful and not mop it up (a.k.a. I ran out of bread...) - so down the drain it went :(

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H. C.

Lover of delicious eats, delightful drinks, quirky fun and life's adventuresNote on comp'd/freebies/paid-fors: the majority of foodventures are paid for out of my own pocket, but on occasions where meals/tastings are hosted, I will clearly note that I was invited and the post will be marked with a 'hosted' tag.